Heavy Snow, Chautauqua
- When
- December 2, 10:25 AM EST to December 3, 5:00 AM EST
- Where
- Chautauqua forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.303, -79.406 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in New York, December 2 to 3, 2005
Lake effect snows developed to the southeast of Lakes Erie and Ontario. The two-day event brought the bulk of snow off Lake Erie on the 2nd and off Lake Ontario on the 3rd.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 4
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS BUF wrote it up.
Lake effect snows developed to the southeast of Lakes Erie and Ontario. The two-day event brought the bulk of snow off Lake Erie on the 2nd and off Lake Ontario on the 3rd. Snowfall amounts were impressive and were focused well inland rather than along the lake shores. Specific snowfall reports included: off Lake Erie 18" at Sherman and Jamestown; 13" at Cherry Hill; 9" at Ellicottville; and 8" at Friendship; off Lake Ontario 20" at West Monroe and Constantia; 10" at Cato and 7" at Barnes Corners.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Cattaraugus
- When
- December 2, 12:25 PM EST to December 3, 5:00 AM EST
- Where
- Cattaraugus forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.249, -78.679 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Oswego
- When
- December 2, 1:25 PM EST to December 3, 10:00 PM EST
- Where
- Oswego forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.464, -76.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Lewis
- When
- December 2, 4:00 PM EST to December 3, 9:00 PM EST
- Where
- Lewis forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.785, -75.449 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Heavy Snow
- Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Lake-Effect Snow in New York, December 2 to 3, 2005
- Winter Weather in Vermont, December 2 to 3, 2005
- Winter Weather in Vermont, December 2 to 3, 2005
- Winter Weather in South Dakota, December 2, 2005
- Winter Weather in New York, December 2 to 3, 2005
- Flooding in Maine, December 2, 2005
- Winter Weather in Iowa, December 2, 2005
- Flooding in Maine, December 2, 2005
- Heavy Snow in South Dakota, December 2, 2005
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, December 2 to 3, 2005
- Winter Weather in Colorado, December 2 to 3, 2005
- Heavy Snow in West Virginia, December 2, 2005
More
Every storm in New York in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, December 2005
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5488013, 5488014, 5488015, 5488016.